The present invention relates to chemical analysis. More specifically, the invention relates to instrumental chemical analysis.
In many experiments a flow-through heating arrangement is needed to reduce reaction time. Often the reaction conditions require inertness of the wetted material. Heated reactors based on polymeric tubing, notably polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), are the most common, and such reactors are typically used in a manner in which the reactors are immersed in a heated bath or an otherwise thermally conductive potting in which a heater and a temperature sensor are also immersed for heating and temperature control. Polymeric tubes are poor conductors of heat; hence most reactors of this type have very poor utilization of thermal energy. The present invention provides much more efficient energy utilization.